Lost AT E Minor

Art / Nazario Acosta, Nukak artist

March 31, 2007 | Art | by Andres Colmenares |

Nazario Acosta, a 27-year old self-taught artist from San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia uses his paintings to tell the myths, stories and lifestyle of the Nukak Makuk culture. His parents, original members of his tribe, took him on their journeys through the wild jungle, allowing him to know about his ancestors and Mother Nature. The artist is now experimenting with natural pigments as ‘achote’ and other substances the Nukaks use to paint their faces. He adds aromatic plants to the pigments so each painting keeps the original scent and smell of the jungle. Even the frames of his paintings are made with ‘bejucos’, a plant used by them to build their homes (malocas). A few years ago he was discovered by a lawyer who visited a local office in Guaviare, where one of his paintings was hanging. Since then, his work has been showcased in Cartagena, Tunja, Cuernavaca (Mexico) and Miami. He has shows coming up in Rome, but he is having trouble with the paperwork. Meanwhile he is planning to study Film and Television in the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

March 31, 2007 | Video | by Zolton |

This is really amazing, a poignant and richly textured video and sound piece from Brooklyn-based artist, Alex Itin. Read more

Illustration / More Than A Friend

March 31, 2007 | Illustration | by Zolton |

Some interesting work from Canadian duo, Jason Wasserman and Krista Bursey, aka More Than A Friend, who began working together in 2001 with a ‘mandate to create experimental artwork that combined both artists’ respective skills and styles’. Their work is compellingly dark and eerily evocative. Hmmmm. With Friends like this …

Illustration / Elena Wen

March 31, 2007 | Illustration | by Zolton |

Elena Wen is an illustrator and animator living in Brooklyn. Her work is offbeat and full of humour, majestically grand in its scope and beautifully realised. Her featured animations can be viewed at her website.

Fashion / Bangkok footwear

March 31, 2007 | Fashion | by Bianca Chong |

In recent years Bangkok has built amazing shopping centres to cater to every fashionista’s whims at breakneck speed. Top of the list is Siam Square where you must visit MBK centre, Siam Paragon and Central World to name a few. Shoe trends in Thailand at the moment vary depending on what your looking for, the whole ’80s revival is huge with patent, bright coloured pumps. For those who like their feet to sparkle, why not try the new Birkenstock glitter collection in a range of dazzling colours. But for those girls who want a shoe with a difference get hold of the gorgeous open toe butterfly shoe by World Wide Work. All of these shoes are available at the Platinum Mall on Petchuburi Rd.

Photography / Lesley Silvia

March 30, 2007 | Photography | by Andy |

The warmth and depth of colour from classic Polaroid photography is impossible to replicate. While digital images may be crisp and sharp, the romantic within occasionally begs for the washed, imperfect saturation of analog photography. Even the kids on MySpace [have we mentioned Lost At E Minor is in the MySpace crowd?] are desperately bleaching, filtering and editing their digital images in an attempt to replicate the style of Polaroid. Nothing but the real thing here - Lesley Silvia presents stylish analog photographs captured with a Polaroid, Holga, and Lomo fisheye. Timeless.

Fashion / Design your own underwear with Bonds

March 29, 2007 | Fashion | by Andy |

The first 500 creative types to hit the Bonds website and choose a pattern, colour and print have the opportunity to design their very own pair of Bonds superheroes underwear. Recently launched at Sydney’s Fringe Bar at the ‘Dancing in my Bonds undies’ event featuring models from Australia’s Next Top Model, the ‘Design your own undies’ initiative from Bonds demonstrates an innovative appreciation of personalised fashion. Perfect for cheeky gifts, each piece is individually numbered and is accompanied by a certificate. As loud, colourful undies from Sydney’s Thousand Reasons continue to turn heads in boutiques across the globe we’re sure some of the more outrageous prints will be popular with those who jump in and design their own.

Music / Joseph Israel

March 29, 2007 | Music | by Natalie Liechti |

Roots-reggae artist Joseph Israel has been rather busy of late, wowing crowds at SXSW and releasing his debut album, ‘Gone Are The Days’. We caught up with him. Is it true you became interested in reggae music as a two year old? ‘Yeah, reggae music spoke to me at a very early age. It’s the feeling, the message, the words, sounds and power that sets reggae music apart’. You then quickly developed a strong interested in Rastafarian culture, how did that come about? ‘Rasta made a lot of sense to me in many ways. As a youth, I had many questions and Rasta people inspired me to look at life with an open mind. Now I am involved with spreading this message - I love Rasta culture and Rasta people. In fact, I love all people and my hope is for the restoration of the human race!’ Gone Are the Days was recorded in Jamaica’s famed Tuff Gong Studios, how much did being in that environment influence the album’s creation? ‘I met producer/ bassist Chris Meredith and he invited me down to Kingston. Recording in this environment is ideal for the music, you feel at home and everything is natural. Lots of vibes at Tuff Gong!’

Places / We are made of stars

March 28, 2007 | Places | by Zolton |

So I spent last weekend in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, enjoying fine Southern cuisine, gracious hospitality [’y'all come back now!’] and the warmth of a sun beating down like a semi-gnarled blanket. It was interesting to see the cultural values of the city; the social graces of its people which permeate every conversation. It felt a bit like the American Airlines flight from New York was more like a time capsule to another time and place. Not that I was complaining. Nashville and its surrounds were beautiful, with majestic colours punctuating the stately urban facade [above left]. Still, nothing quite beats Central Park on a mild Spring day [above right]. It’s a welcoming oasis in an expansive concrete wilderness.

Photography / Trees and nature

March 28, 2007 | Photography | by Zac |

I love trees. Trees and the sky. Both these shots were taken in the UK, where the light is softer than Australia and the seasons bring out great contrast. In Spring it’s all colour and contrasts. In Autumn, it’s the texture of bark against cold skies.

Fashion / Non-Fiction

March 28, 2007 | Fashion | by Zolton |

Now, I may be a boy but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the finer details of the Non-Fiction range. The girls t-shirts are feminine and highly wearable, and feature visuals which are playful and mischievous. Even better, they’re ‘designed and made in Australia using quality fabrics and union-based labour’. We like.

Events / Mike O’Meally and Sophie Howarth

March 27, 2007 | Events | by Andy |

A promising side-event to the always inspiring Semi-Permanent conference, The Mike and Soph Show is a combined exhibition from Semi-Permanent speakers Mike O’Meally and Sophie Howarth. Going down at Sydney’s East Village Hotel on Wednesday March 28, the event also includes the highly anticipated Semi-Permanent 2007 book launch.

Art / Mathieu Doyon and Simon Rivest

March 26, 2007 | Art | by Andy |

Using art for brand communication requires finding that tiny, pointy apex fusing creativity, corporate branding and audience to create a message that’s strong yet subtle and meaningful yet simple. To pull it off requires not only creative finesse and an appreciation for branding, but also an intimate understanding of audience and human response. It’s a tough gig, and few perform it well. In Australia we’ve seen Timothy Neve succeed with a string of art-inspired marketing achievements, and now the Quebec-based duo of Mathieu Doyon and Simon Rivest is making noise in Canada with creations that ‘appropriate certain established conventions and strategies in advertising and transpose them to an artistic project’.

Music / Arcade fire

March 25, 2007 | Music | by Zac |

We’re lucky to get a consistent stream of music coming our way - most of it pretty good. I’ve recently enjoyed listening to the new Arcade Fire album, Neon Bible. The music is multi-layered, emotionally charged and fresh. I’m a big fan of The Doves, and Arcade Fire share similar characteristics (though I notice that the wisdom of crowds over at last.fm don’t agree). A good listen in any case.

Music / John Lennon educational tour bus

March 25, 2007 | Music | by Andy |

The John Lennon educational tour bus ‘is a non-profit, mobile recording studio outfitted with traditional musical instruments’, along with a swag of recording gear assembled in front and rear studios. Along with stopping by at festivals and events such as the recent SXSW, the tour bus has provided countless free services to schools and organisations and ‘encourages students to play music, write songs, engineer recording sessions and produce music video projects using the latest audio, video, and live sound equipment’. Kids these days - they’ve got it all, huh?